Wednesday, September 21, 2011

National Public Lands Day - September 24th

Let everyone sweep in front of his own door and the whole world will be clean. -- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

I'm pretty big on encouraging everyone to take care of their own share of the planet by maintaining an eco-friendly landscape. But in a broader sense, the public lands in your area are an extension of "your share".

September 24, 2011 is National Public Lands Day (NPLD). It is the nation's largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands in the United States.

NPLD began in 1994 with three sites and 700 volunteers. It proved to be a huge success and NPLD became a yearly tradition.

Last year, 170,000 volunteers worked at over 2,080 sites in every state, the District of Columbia and in many U.S. territories. NPLD volunteers:

Removed an estimated 450 tons of trash

Collected an estimated 20,000 pounds of invasive plants

Built and maintained an estimated 1,320 miles of trails

Planted an estimated 100,000 trees, shrubs and other native plants

Contributed an estimated $15 million to improve public lands across the country

As the hometown of the headquarters of National Public Lands Day (NPLD) and the National Environmental Education Foundation, Washington, D.C. has a strong connection with public lands. The District has a land area of only 68 square miles, but is home to 22 national parks, such as the National Mall and Anacostia National Park. Public lands are intertwined with the culture and history of Washington, D.C.

There are many events scheduled for NPLD in the area. If you are looking for a way to meet other eco-minded people and clean up some of the area parks, why not spend a few hours at one of these great events:

Rock Creek Park is the location of a National Public Lands Day signature event. Over 200 volunteers will come together to beautify the park in the morning. Later on, they will celebrate at a recreation and health fair in the afternoon..